Circuit Length (Miles):
2.692

One of the most picturesque and historic circuits in the country, Oulton Park is a glorious place to enjoy motorsport.

In its early days the track hosted international racing and the Oulton Park Gold Cup regularly attracted famous teams and drivers from Formula One - Stirling Moss was a five-time winner here in the 1950s and 60s. Reinstated in 2002 as a historic event, the Gold Cup is now one of the highlights of the season, attracting the very same period Formula One cars as well as classic Group B rallying machinery.

Start / Finish

• The start / finish straight

Old Hall

• From the start / finish straight the approach to Old Hall must be accurate as riders will find it hard to adjust once hard on the brakes
Riders will attempt to select a line to the right past the pits as this will allow them to make good ground for a slightly right to left diagonal into the kink thus allowing the rider more track to use and open up Old Hall itself.
The track is slightly downhill and riders will use the kink itself as the cue for some very hard braking
The track is rough here so the bikes will become a little unstable
If riders run in too fast then it will mean they will apex too early and inevitably run wide
On entry, the turn in point is deceptively early and usually hard to judge, and they will use the barrier on the left for reference
The apex has a helpful camber all the way through particularly around mid corner
The apex is at the crown of the inside kerb, just before the drain
Riders need to be aware that if it is raining hard a puddle forms on the apex and needs to be avoided
Riders will tend to open the throttle quite early to drive through the bend to avoid over loading the front tyre
Speed is very important on the exit but the bike will try to run wide on the decreasing camber and also, riders need to avoid the rough kerb on the approach to Cascades

Cascades

• Coming out of the exit from Old Hall there is a kink called Dentons just after a blind brow. Riders need to start to turn into Dentons just before the brow.
They will need to clip the far end of Dentons kerb, and there is a reference point on the horizon which assists the riders
Braking is downhill but markers are scarce, the riders failure to find a marker usually results in them braking too early
The entry to the apex requires riders to turn in the middle of the service road on the right
The adverse camber becomes much worse if riders peel in too late
Where the kerb and surface change intersect, is where the apex is
This corner turns for longer than it first seems so it is important for riders to make an effort to stay with the kerb longer than usual
On exiting the apex riders need to try and hold a good line as possible, driving hard on to Lakeside straight
Riders usually use the outside exit kerb as it is tarmac going towards Island Bend

Island Bend

• This bend only requires slight braking (depending on what size bike riders are on of course), usually a slight rolling of the throttle is sufficient
The camber is neutral throughout the turn as a slight brow on the approach is felt
Riders will use the service road as their starting point for a good turn in, into the apex which is hit hard with plenty of speed
Riders will aim to clip the long inside kerb approximately three quarters of the way along before they will naturally let the bike drift out
After the apex riders should be back on full power (if they came off it at all!), for a short burst on the approach to Shell Oils Hairpin

Shell Oils Hairpin

• As riders leave Island Bend in the middle of the track, it is neither easy, or necessary to get back to the left hand kerb
Entering Shell from a wide approach is difficult and usually counterproductive
A tight line allows the rider to latch on to the camber early and avoid the change of camber on the entry
There are two distinct lines riders can take at this point, the first involves hugging the apex all the way round and the second requires the rider to take two apexes
There is a repair line of tarmac, which lines the entire length of the inside of the corner and some riders run their wheels just along this line
Riders who take the double apex on this hairpin are usually at a disadvantage as the surface is rougher out wide and tends to affect production based bikes more
If riders have chosen the slightly slower mid corner double apex option and riders have managed to get the bike back on the kerb then they will be well set up for a fast exit
On exit riders will lose the help of the camber if they drift out too wide, so riders should use the throttle to control the line and move gently out to the left hand side of the track on approach to Brittons

Brittons

• On the approach to Brittons the gentle right kink is taken flat out, however it is tempting to make ground to the right on entry, so therefore riders are better off if they concentrate on braking as hard and as late as possible in a straight line
There are three apexes in Brittons and the approach to the first apex should be taken as straight as possible before leaning left into the apex but if riders make a foot or two at this point to the left will help them run around the second apex and straighten the exit
If riders have managed to make room for themselves and have turned the bike early at apex 2, they can get on the power much earlier and much harder
The exit speed and drive out of the chicane determines the riders speed on the back straight heading uphill to the brow at Hill Top

Knickerbrook

• Once over the brow at Hill Top the approach to Knickerbrook is well marked by good count down markers, however most riders tend to use the re-emergence of the short circuit on the right
Braking needs to be fierce but brief usually down to no lower than 4th gear
Apex 1 is not so much of an apex but a place to get the bike turned in ready for the 2nd apex
Riders can turn in several different spots without compromising their exit speed
Riders need to be as close to the kerb on the left at Apex 2 ready for the last apex
Riders usually change to a higher gear here ready for the run up hill on the exit
Coming from left to the right riders will see the whole corner is blind to start with then opens out and out onto the old part of the circuit
Riders need to ensure they turn the bike well as they can run wide on the exit
They will need to keep their bike tight on the exit so they can run uphill without running wide and towards the Armco
This Armco can fixate the rider so they will make sure they are looking up the hill as soon as possible to keep them running out of track as they start their drive up the hill to the bridge

Druids

• As riders speed up under the bridge at Clay Hill they will be on full power right through the section to the approach
The crucial part of the approach is to keep well over to the right in order to make ground through the slight left kink
Riders will usually begin braking from around the kerb at this kink, before they run along the left hand edge of the track
Riders will use the barrier and the large tree on the left in order to gauge their turn in
Riders are moving very fast here and the bike feels reluctant to turn
The first apex is on the crown of the first of two inside kerbs and riders will allow their bikes to drift out naturally to the mid point of the track before coming into the second apex
There is a very limited run off on the left of apex 2
If apex 2 is taken correctly on the mid point of the 2nd inside kerb the line should feel like one continuous sweep
On exit the aim is to get the bike as upright as possible as riders traverse the brow situated part way along the outside kerb
The brow makes the final part of this kerb blind and an adverse camber makes it easy to run out of track
Riders are aware that wheelies are common here and can riders off line if too high

Lodge

• From the exit from Druids into the fast undulating straight into Lodge makes braking pretty tricky
Many riders use the final undulation as a braking marker hitting the brakes hard as the front wheel feels firm again
The peel off point comes naturally to the entry from the riders chosen apex with either line they decide upon
Entry speed is fractionally slower is riders use the line at the far end of the apexthe apex
The other line takes the apex at mid point of the inside kerb and is faster
Coming out of the Lodge riders go over a brow into a steep downhill to a dip and riders need to get their bike over to the left if not already done after the apex (depending on what line they used)
The drop into the dip is also an adverse camber
The drop into the dip also prevents the rider from accelerating as hard as they wish
From the dip riders drive hard uphill to the brow over to Deer Leap and the start / finish straight